Wales and West Utilities (WWU) will develop an electrolyser designed to be capable of producing green hydrogen from highly contaminated industrial wastewater sources.
Alongside HydroStar and Cardiff University, the companies will use water high in microplastic and heavy metal pollution as a feedstock for the electrolyser, which would normally be unsuitable for the production process.
Combining pollutant removal with the low-carbon hydrogen production process is expected to reduce operational barriers, and enable the delivery of lower-cost green hydrogen to customers. The removal process also produces hydrogen and oxygen as byproducts, which can be captured as high-value goods to recover future energy costs.
The prototype, anticipated to be ready by March 2025, will use sources such as wastewater and rainwater to produce green hydrogen as part of the NextGen initiative. H2 view understands that this phase will also drive R&D into new electrode designs to optimise the existing NextGen unit.
“We see hydrogen playing a significant role in a future energy system, however, there are currently high operational barriers and costs associated with its production,” explained Matt Hindle, Head of Net Zero & Sustainability at WWU.
“By using different water sources – be it wastewater or rainwater, or contaminated water from industry, we can make green hydrogen production more accessible and affordable.”
Charlie Newbold, Head of Operations at HydroStar, added, “[We] will be investigating different electrode designs and operational conditions to optimise flotation and coagulation processes, whilst Cardiff University will focus on the interaction between the gas bubbles and pollutants for effective capture and removal.”
Newbold added that WWU is set to manage the project governance and communications, identifying customers across the gas network that could benefit from the solution.
The NextGen initiative has secured Innovate UK Launchpad: Net Zero Industry, South West Wales funding to develop the project.
Last week (August 15), Celtic Sea Power secured funding via the programme to focus on offshore hydrogen production. WWU plans to provide its 100% hydrogen pipeline for to transport the hydrogen onshore.
Read more: Celtic Sea Power secures £887k for offshore hydrogen production project in Wales
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